Section 27D. Any person owning or in possession of a homestead or tract of land which has been owned or in the possession of his family for one hundred years or more may apply to the commission to list the homestead or tract of land in a register to be maintained by the commission. The commission shall provide forms for such application and shall rule on the authenticity of the homestead or the ownership or possession of the tract of land according to criteria it shall establish and make public.

Upon the authentication of the homestead or tract of land by the commission, it shall list the homestead or tract of land on its register and provide the applicant with a plaque of suitable design determined by the commission to be affixed to the homestead or tract of land.

The plaque shall identify the homestead or tract of land as an historic homestead and specify that it is one hundred or more years old as of the date of recognition. If the date or year of construction of the homestead or purchase of tract of land is known, that date or year may appear on the plaque in lieu of the fact that the homestead or tract of land is one hundred or more years old. The plaque shall not bear the name of any member of the commission or any other public official, but may carry an appropriate emblem to be determined by the commission.

All costs of administering this program, including maintenance of the register, research into the authenticity of the homestead or tract of land, plaque and plaque design, and mailing costs shall be determined by the commission and shall be borne by the applicant.

The applicant shall be responsible for displaying the plaque on the homestead or tract of land in a suitable manner and shall bear all costs of such display.

The commission may arrange to present plaques to applicants so desiring at the commission’s annual meeting.